I went to Seattle to see Los Campesinos! at the Neptune Theater. I didn’t really know what to expect. I had never been to this venue, I hadn’t seen anything about an opening band, and I have only been listening to the headliners for a couple of months. So, I was curious enough to go up and check it out.

The show began around 9 with four dudes creeping out onto the stage and launching into probably the most rousing cover of Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” that I have ever heard. As a shameless lover of all things Phil Collins/Genesis, I was sold, just like that. A fitting start to what was an awesome set by Seattle natives Kithkin.

This thing in the air I felt that night came from these four dudes who had so much energy, so much charisma, and so much obvious love for what they were doing that it was impossible not to laugh at their silly showmanship and dance right along with them. They made me feel like there really was something special happening that night and just by being in that place, watching them play, I was a part of it. The music is pretty intense though, straight up crazy with all the drumming and percussion going on, I don’t even really know how to classify them but it doesn’t really matter. If you saw these dudes live you would have a really great time, you just have to.

Think drums, drums, drums, and more drums. They all play drums and sing, the main singer has the biggest drum set though and the other guys play keyboard, guitar and bass. That’s it, just these four dudes pounding out with so much intensity and having a fantastic time with it. Check out their E.P. Takers and Leavershere. But go see these guys, seriously, they are from Seattle so you should have ample opportunity.

Oh yeah, and I saw Los Campesinos! that night too, on tour after the release of their fourth album Hello Sadness, which came out this past November. I had been reeled in by the undeniably catchy first single “By Your Hand” and ended up listening to the album a good bit, mainly for two songs, “To Tundra” and “Light Leaves, Dark Sees pt. II,” which are intense, emotional kind of anthems that I quite enjoy for the sad poetry and music that kinda reminds me of the early 90s (the musical glory days of my youth). I like the way the dude writes: witty, sarcastic, ironic, bitter, you know, all the tortured self-loathing emotions. One of the things I like most about this album is that it sounds very honest and personal, there’s some real raw emotion coming through the lyrics and the music that I keeps me listening. I hoped that they would bring this same raw intensity to their live performance and I was not disappointed.

The show was really good. They band all seemed to have a good energy and the crowd was super into it, people were dancing and singing and even lots of crowd-surfing, surprisingly. I found the show to be pretty solid, overall.

Did I leave way more impressed with the opening band than the headliner? Yeah, yeah, maybe I did. But I couldn’t help it, the energy of Kithkin is way too infectious to be denied. As lead singer Gareth Campesinos! pointed out, the crowd was a little bit too into the opening band and he found it kind of rude. A joke? Perhaps, but not entirely untrue. People were so into Kithkin that I even wondered how many people were there just to see them and if they even cared about the headliners.

There are some really good pictures from the show in this article from the KEXP blog as well, for those who are curious.

A note about the venue, because it’s relatively new. It was at the Neptune Theater, owned by Seattle Theater Group, who also operate the Paramount and Moore Theaters in downtown Seattle. A pretty cool little venue, an old restored theater at about 90 years old, big enough to book good bands and small enough to feel intimate. Try to get up there and see a show soon, they have some good shows coming up.

Sunday Februrary 19th there will be a Free All-Ages Hardcore Punk Show. If you’re not down to party on a sunday night, well..then you’re just not down to party. Luckily this show starts relatively early with doors opening at 6:30pm. So even the responsible ones among you will be able to attend.

From what I’ve heard of these bands; this show should be standard punk. So grab your leather jacket with the studs, pre-game with a 40 in hand, and get ready to throw your body weight against complete strangers. On Sunday the 19th, it’s on.

(Print it out and pass it around)

Though this is a free show, I highly suggest bringing donations to help support both the local and touring bands. I don’t know the house rules for the venue, but I would assume that they are something along the lines of “enjoy the music, respect the house, and don’t be a dick”.

Need help getting to the venue? How about a little help from THE INTERNET.

Personally, I plan on attending this show and writing some post-show jibber-jabber. So, there’s always that to look forward to. Once again, if you have any opinions or information about these bands or this show; then don’t hesitate to tell us in a comment.

Few things here. First of all, Kalamazoo Michigan is a real place. Second of all, deep within the recesses of what I thought was a fictional realm invented by doctor suess, is The Extreme Unicorns. Third, I know this is kind of late, but! Nothing Nice to Say is off of hiatus, (wooooo!!!!!!) so that’s pretty cool I guess.

Anyway- The Extreme Unicorns. Vocalist/bassist Lex gives the band that sort of, tamer (relatively speaking) almost riot grrl vocal sound you might find in Slutever or The Gits. Plus, guitarist Tim (one word) and drummer Rob O’Toole have soft gingery beards that have been known to cure blindness.

They do some really great covers of The Misfits and Britney Spears, and! They only have one original song out now, so now is your chance to say you liked them before they were cool!

To quote Darion Conwell: “enjoy the music, respect the house, and don’t be a dick.” Fun story there, almost got kicked out of this house for being a dick. Not really my fault, I got that they wanted me to be pushing people, I didn’t choose to continue getting pushed by other people, per-say.

Anyways, I’ve already talked about white wards in a past post so I won’t re-engage ranting, but I am quite a fan. You can download their 7″ here. Likewise if you’re into death metal or hardcore thrash death, Bone Sickness is just fucking dandy to see live. I’ve never seen the other two bands, so out of laziness I’m not going to write anything, but fuck it go anyways. I command you, all twenty-six people who may ever read this.

This coming Friday at 9pm, the Oly Music Awards is putting on a pre-show to help showcase some good local bands. If you’re interested in local music, then this isn’t an event you want to miss. At some point after the pre-show, there will be an award ceremony to honor local bands. See more info at OlyMusicAwards.com

From what I’ve listened to of “Fight for Change” and “Elbow Coulee”, I would very much enjoy seeing them live. As for “Jabi Shriki”, well… he’s not exactly my genre. I had trouble finding information about the band “Point Process” online, but if I find out about the genre or find a sample of their work then I will go back and post it here. In the meantime if you know something about Point Process or any of these other bands, then please tell us.

(Print it out and share it around)

^ Look at all of those sponsors! I’m hoping to make it to this event, however if I don’t then perhaps one of our other writers would be willing to write a little blurb about it.

About the venue: I’m a big fan of Le Voyeur Cafe. Though I’m not a vegan or vegetarian, I still enjoy stopping by for a tasty sandwich when I’m out and about. The cafe also doubles as a venue for all kinds of music (except metal…not to say that they exclude metal, I’ve just never seen it there). Expect a slightly intimate show because the venue space is kind of small. Most of the shows I’ve seen at Le Voyeur have been rap, hip-hop, or electronica, so this should be a treat.

Giving a middle finger to the FCC and radio broadcast regulations, Free Radio Olympia is nothing less than an awesome concept run my even more awesome people. Therefore it is hardly a surprise that we here at TLPMBE support the hell out of them. Sounds like a good time for a plug to me…

Come one come all to the FREE RADIO OLYMPIA ANNUAL VALENTINES ALL YOU CAN EAT EVENT!

What says Valentines Day more than stuffing your face with all the Sushi and Dim Sum you can eat for only ten dollars? Bring your Valentine, or come as a lone wolf, but either way you will be supporting the future of Free Radio Olympia broadcasting.

(Print it out and pass it around)

Need some more information about this event? I suppose I can help with that. For copy & paste purposes the info seen above can also be found below: